Multi-system aging vulnerability associated with prolonged violence exposure: evidence from a Colombian sample

Exposure to violence is a major social determinant that can influence aging trajectories and brain health. In Colombia, a country affected by decades of armed conflict, comprehensive assessment models are needed to capture the multiple factors that shape health and may accelerate aging. This study examined whether long-term exposure to violence is associated with greater multisystem aging vulnerability across cognitive, mental health, social, and neuroendocrine domains in a Colombian cohort. Fifty participants were included: 31 victims of armed conflict (VAC-COL) and 19 control participants, matched for age and education. Assessments included global cognition (MoCA), executive functioning (IFS), symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, daily functioning (FAST), perceived stress (PSS), everyday discrimination related to violence (EDVC), and plasma cortisol levels. A Multi-System Aging Vulnerability Index (MAVI) was constructed by standardizing and integrating measures across these domains. The VAC-COL group showed significantly higher MAVI scores, greater mental health symptom burden, higher cortisol levels, greater perceived stress and discrimination, and poorer daily functioning. In addition, a longer duration of violence exposure was positively associated with higher MAVI scores. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that prolonged exposure to violence in Colombia is associated with multisystem deterioration and increased aging-related vulnerability. The results underscore the importance of assessment frameworks that extend beyond isolated clinical symptoms and recognize violence as a critical determinant of brain health and aging-related vulnerability.